Laws are supposed to be impartial and fair to the collective, but living in America, we know that's not actually how it works. Regulations that are presented to the public and are expected to be followed, unfairly target majority groups, specifically youth of color. And yes, I said the majority, because people of color are not a minority group, we are the masses that get treated as if we are less than. From "stop and frisk" strategies to Anti-DEI directives, one-sided laws are still very much a thing, and present in our everyday lives.

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Stop and Frisk

The "stop and frisk" law is practice used by police that allows them to temporarily stop and/or detain any person for a brief pat down if they have reasonable suspicion that the person may be armed. They may do this whenever they please, in public spaces, and without a warrant. This has become a very controversial law, because what's actually the basis of which they accuse individuals of having a weapon on them?

In 2022, there was an examination performed by the Crime and Justice Institute, observing the actions of the Milwaukee Police Department, specifically in their exercise of this common law. What they found exposed law enforcement officers presuming people of color as more dangerous than white. On inspection, they discovered that black people were getting frisked 2.6 times as much as others.

Along with this, in a 2020 analysis performed by the District of Columbia found evidence collected by the MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) showed that 72% of stop and frisk victims were Black people, and furthermore found that only 0.6% of stops led to the gathering of guns. Stop and think for a second. That is less than 1% of the time. From that data alone, it's clear that stop and frisk laws aren't mainly for protecting people; they're for racial profiling.

According to an even more recent analysis, the 2023 RIPA Board Report, youth (aged 12-24) were targeted based on their skin color. Officers were shown to more likely use force during a stop if they assumed the person was Native American or African American. These groups also had the highest rate of having a firearm pointed at them after being detained by the police.

Based on the 2020 investigation, only o.6% of stops lead to the possession of a firearm, so why are our supposedly trusted police holding weapons up to a child's head? It's because they automatically perceive somebody who may not look white as dangerous. This is called systemic racism, because it is woven throughout our laws and constantly in our subconscious. Arguably, it is considered the most dangerous kind of racism, as people don't realize they're doing it. This ties in to many unfair policies targeting colored youth, including the school to prison pipeline.

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School To Prison Pipeline

While the school to prison pipeline isn't an official law, it is based around a set of practices used by schools to encourage at-risk youth of color to be taken out of public schools and put into incarceration systems. This is a dangerous and unfair thing that people have grown accustomed to. A common saying for this occurrence is "incarceration over education".

Think about that for a second. The nation is failing our children by prioritizing a misleading form of "safety", over school. But this safety isn't actually safe; it's a way of weeding out the kids impacted by systemic challenges.

According to the American Bar Association, black students are 2.2 times as likely to receive a referral to law enforcement or be subject to a school-related arrest than their white counterparts. As a community, we need to reflect on that fact. This begins with "low-tolerance" policies and inadequate resources provided to students.

Low-income schools are an example of pipeline gateways, because they rely on campus police over counselors and teachers. This encourages arrests on school campuses and therefore pushes the idea non-disruptive and minor behavioral issues can result in law enforcement getting involved.

To be fair, many schools have zero-tolerance policies because of the alarmingly increasing amount of school shootings and weapons brought onto campus. Because of this, if any student acts suspicious in any way, especially if they are not white, they're at risk of being suspended or expelled. Since these rules are so severe, the kids who are more likely to get in trouble are pushed further and further down the pipeline and into the juvenile detention system.

As students who aren't in school because of disciplinary reasons don't get support or resources, it becomes easier for them to fall through the cracks. This happens with youth of color more than anyone else, because of systemic racism and bias.

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Anti-DEI Prerogatives

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are implemented by organizations to create a just environment for employees and students. They are essential for everyone, especially underrepresented youth. However, many people want to stop these plans, including our current government. When you head to The White House website, one of the Presidential Actions is "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing"

This means that our president wants to end the "wasteful" programs that help create fairness for colored youth everywhere in the country, especially those in poverty who need these resources. While there is an extremely long list of states that have laws against DEI policies, two stand out in the fact that they have specific bans, not general. Texas and Alabama both refuse to practice these programs within their education boards and public colleges/universities. Because of this, the diversity and atmosphere of those campuses will contrast states that allow these initiatives.

When schools refuse this kind of equality, it impacts every young person on the campus. It could be a student of color who won't get the resources they deserve, or even a young white student who will never see everybody's differences and individual values specifically because a school has a discriminatory outlook on their community. This is unfair to every single person on that campus, not to mention in offices.

When young people look for jobs, they normally take whatever they can get, and don't take into account the DEI policies. Because of this, many companies don't have any, and therefore create unfair relationships and workplaces.

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Final Commentary

As a youth of color myself, I know firsthand that DEI programs are worth it. Prioritizing young people of any race, social class, sexuality, etc, is always important, but prioritizing the kids who may not have as many opportunities is essential. I believe that we as a nation and a community should continue fighting for these policies, and fight back against those who refuse to promote equality for all.